Over the last year many of us have been glued to our flatscreen TVs, tablets, desktops, laptops, and smartphones watching in shock at how COVID-19 took its grip on the world.
With many of us working remotely, more free time has allowed us to consume the news. Riots, protests, cities burning, the economy collapsing – no one can make this stuff up.
What’s interesting is how our southern neighbors were in a big mess only a few months ago; they too felt the wrath of the COVID-19 pandemic. In truth, we looked down below our borders with a smug – that feeling of pride that “Canada always knows how to do it better.”
Think again. The tables sure turn quickly.
With a new administration in power, life in America has changed dramatically.
As a travel and industry expert who speaks all around the world, I have many close connections in the USA and I now look at them with envy as I see travel opening up at a rapid pace as consumers are now booking trips faster than you can blink.
The U.S. is a case in point.
Restrictions are being lifted: over 105 million people so far have had the vaccination, and although they are not out of the woods just yet, the trajectory looking ahead is most definitely positive.
Our friends in the states are even sending Canada vaccines and managing the virus with a vengeance. America’s population now stands at 330 million, while ours is just under 40 million. To put this all into perspective, there is more people in the state of California than there is in all of Canada, and yet America is open for business and travel is opening up, and so is their economy in a powerful way.
This got me thinking: We are not far behind them, really if you think about it, and once these newest vaccines start to ramp up, we too will see a rapid change. It makes me feel positive that travel really will be coming back fast and furious.
But we have lots of work to do here at home, and we need to look at how the U.S. and other parts of the world are handling the pandemic and how they are being frontrunners in getting their economies back in order, while at the same time rebooting travel.
We need a vaccination roll-out moving quickly and now is the time to get small businesses and other sectors of our economy open and moving, one being travel and tourism.
Here is how the travel picture looks in other parts of our world
“Revenge Travel” is a term that I have been hearing for a while now. It’s simply a concept of “revenge spending” that emerged in China in the 1980s with descriptions of burgeoning consumer demand following the poverty of the Cultural Revolution. In the past few months, researchers have reapplied it to the resurgent spending on luxury goods, as strict stay-at-home orders eased across China. In April, for example, a single Hermès store raked in $2.7 million in one day in Guangzhou, a sign of how the wealthy have responded to their quarantine blues.
“Revenge Travel” is a riff on the same notion. As with the retail sector, travel analysts now carefully watch Chinese consumer sentiment and spending since tourism restarted there.
In May, a report by McKinsey & Company, found Chinese confidence in domestic travel had risen by 60 percent from its shutdown lows, as much of the country reopened. Travellers have opted to stay close to home and go by car or train over flying. Reduced capacity, mandatory masks and more stringent sanitation routines are a few ways tourist sites and hotels in China have sought to lure still-hesitant travellers, according to the McKinsey report.
In past travel crises, such as 911, we saw a very slow uptake on travel, but in this pandemic the desire seems to only be fueled more by the lockdown. We have also spent so little on travel over the past year that the money is burning a hole in our pockets as we yearn to get back on a plane.
In the UK they are also seeing a surge demand for travel as many Britons just cannot take it anymore. I am British and grew up travelling. It is part of our culture, so this has been extra hard on us.
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How Europe is rebooting travel
The UK government’s roadmap for exiting lockdown states that a new taskforce to review global travel restrictions will report on April 12, 2021. International travel restrictions from England will not be lifted until May 17, 2021 at the earliest. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are yet to set a date for the resumption of international travel.
However, summer holiday bookings have already surged in anticipation, even while some politicians and public health experts have cautioned it is too early to be certain that they can take place. Some countries have already announced the restrictions that will apply to visitors from the UK once borders reopen and people are able to travel internationally again.
Places that will open-up for tourism this summer include Greece. People who have been vaccinated will be able to travel to Greece in the summer and will not face a period of self-isolation after arriving. Those without a vaccination will be required to have a negative COVID-19 test before travelling.
Turkey expects to welcome Canadian tourists regardless of their vaccination status. The tourism minister, Mehmet Ersoy, has stated: “We will not require vaccination passports from international travelers when entering the country,” and has reassured visitors that “we have world-class border processes in place for ensuring travel will be low-risk throughout Turkey.”
In order to facilitate the tourism industry, an important component of Turkey’s economy, Ersoy said the country expects to prioritize hospitality workers in its vaccine rollout plans.
Over to Portugal, Rita Marques, the country’s tourism secretary, has said: “Portugal will soon allow restriction-free travel, not only for vaccinated people, but those who are immune or who test negative” and that the country hopes to welcome tourists this summer.
Enjoy Canada, spend your money at home
This year, for Canadians, it will probably be a summer of travel within our own country, which thankfully is huge, diverse and warm in summer. There is so much to do and see at home: sandy beaches, mountains, oceans, lakes, diverse cities, and don’t forget we can move around in RVs, soaking up our nation’s culture and scenery. Hey, you can even go “glamping” in Canada now!
When should we plan to book our next out-of-country experience?
I would feel safe booking a trip for the fall or winter this year and actually I have joined forces to host a Christmas River Cruise with Condello Travel out of Woodbridge as it is my favourite thing to do.
The food, the experiences, Europe, I miss it all so this is my plan. However, if by some chance we still have a lockdown or any kind of issue, like a quarantine problem in Europe, the best part is that most travel companies now are offering very flexible terms and cancellation policies.
Back to America, they are setting the path forward in keeping their citizens safe, but more importantly they know how crucial it is to get the economy moving again. We need to watch our fellow comrades down south as they are oiling their economic machine like we have never seen before. President Biden and Vice-President Harris know full well that if things remain closed any longer, a further economic collapse will cause more damage than any pandemic. Europe and China know this too.
Canada needs to do the same. While we have so much to offer, I am advising everyone to spend their money at home. But the point is, we need more places open and a quicker vaccination rollout. We need it. Our economy needs it.
If you are one of those travellers who wants to break free, then contact me to learn about the Christmas River Cruise I am hosting with Condello Travel – it will be an adventure you won’t soon forget.
Reach out to me today and let’s get travelling again!
